MMS 4 FPI DIS: Magnetospheric Plasma Distributions at 0.15-Second Burst Resolution

NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission provides high-resolution plasma distribution maps from its Fast Plasma Investigation Dual Ion Spectrometer. The data contain corrected 'Burst Sky Map' distributions with time stamps and instrument state annotations, captured at 150-millisecond resolution during selected downlink periods. This Level 2 product was last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing fine-scale plasma dynamics based on high-time-resolution burst mode data.
• Studying ion phase space distributions based on the 'Burst Sky Map' product.
• Correlating plasma behavior with instrument system states based on the provided annotations.
• Investigating magnetospheric processes using data from the MMS mission's region of interest.

Strengths

• Data is from NASA's authoritative MMS mission.
• Provides high-resolution measurements at 150 milliseconds for the DIS instrument.
• Includes corrected/converted distributions labeled as the 'highest possible quality at the time of release'.
• Contains time stamps and instrument state annotations for context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Not all burst resolution data are downlinked, only selected subsets are available.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Fast Plasma Investigation Dual Ion Spectrometer instrument on the MMS 4 spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers the MMS mission's region of interest and current mission phase.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:04:01.102579; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Magnetospheric and near-Earth space.